Hide and Seek

     It is Friday on your 21st  montherday. I took care of all my chores earlier this week to spend the day with you.  You started off the day perfectly by sleeping until 8:30. Ahhh, beauty sleep; we love to sleep in.  This morning we had one of your favorite breakfasts of cheesy scrambled eggs with milk.  We read our books and played this morning before your nap. The fun really started this afternoon when we played a brand new game.  This is game that you'll play for years to come with your friends. It's a little game called hide and seek.  We took turns hiding and seeking. You sure had fun popping out of your hiding place!  I showed you where you could hide, and you ducked down and popped right back up again. We hid in great places like under tables, behind the Christmas tree, next to furniture, under a rug, and covered in pillows.  I especially enjoyed when you found me, because I was Samantha attacked. You said, "Mommy!". When you were hiding, you would say your name as only you do. It sounds like Santha. That's pretty good if you ask me.

     We ate our supper of Chicken Gouda sandwiches courtesy of your Daddy and went on to play some more.  Your Momma always has an agenda. Sometimes my day is shared with you and bookkeeping or cleaning or grocery shopping but today was dedicated to you my precious girl. All for you.

   Well enough typing, the day isn't over. Back to you baby. You are playing with your brother as and its time for Mommy to join in.

Just another day?

     Samantha, I so enjoy your company. We didn't do anything exciting today, but you make everyday an adventure. We went Walmart to get one more Christmas present for your Daddy. You put a smile on so many faces just by being your normal smiling, happy self.  We talk the whole time in the store about what we see and what we need to get. As we were walking in the seasonal decorations department, you smartly pointed out that we were near TREES; Christmas trees, that is. Throughout the store you pronounced your observations:  DOLL, DOG, MONKEY in the toy isle.  You saw MILK and SODA at the back of the store. My goodness, what a trip. You and Mommy got everything on the list with smiles all around, and let me tell you that true smiles during the Christmas season at Walmart is hard to come by.

     After a nice long nap and some food for the belly, we were off to Columbia to drop off the picture files for a custom print I needed done for other presents.  I park on South 9th and get out my baby wrap, which is a long piece of fabric that wraps around both of us and holds you on my front, side or back. It's a little helping hand leaving me 2 hands to take care of business while you are in loving security.  You are in front of me today. As we wait to be helped at the store, you and I chit-chat about our surroundings. That gets old, so you just lay our little head on my chest for a moment and rest your eyes. So precious.

     Once the dropped off to pictures, we headed over to Toys R Us. I wanted to find a chair for your room to read in.  I'm looking for one that can hold both of us, because we love to read together. We didn't have any luck, so it was time to head home.....getting dark.

     At home, more food for the cute belly, then I decided to give you an early bath. It had been a long day of running so I thought I'd make it an early to bed night if you were willing. Bath time is so much fun...
splashing, swishing, filling up and dumping out your cup. Mommy made a spike on your head. You didn't seem to mind, so I took pictures.

Camdenton Airshow

	We have very good friends. This weekend our good friends Curtis and his kids Bud & Lexi with Matt & Erin and their son Mason asked us to go to the Lake of the Ozarks to a condo for the weekend.  Saturday was an airshow in Camdenton.  It couldn't have been a better weekend to be outside.  The sky was clear, the sun was warm and the adventure was new for you.
The condo was on the lake's edge with a lovely view of boat docks, but the view on the balcony was much better.  Just watching you experience new things warms my heart.  You spent a good portion of the time inside trying to climb the full staircase to the 2nd floor.  You did make it all the way up unassisted, but going down in another matter.  It is much scarier when you have to look down.  After this weekend you will have no problems with stairs.  You are the stair master (of going up).
We walked through this cargo/passenger carrier	The Jet Truck
We spent a good part of the day at the airshow, packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed the show.  You and Mason (2 yrs old) played and were happy to be able to walk freely where we parked.  You and Mommy rested a while in the car after lunch while Daddy went to watch that silly jet truck.  We headed back to the condo after that to start supper and relax.  You had no trouble going to sleep that night.  Neither did Mommy and Daddy as we snuggled in on either side of you.  You had a good time at the condo.  We'll have to do it again.

The Swinging Bridge Adventure

	The adventure begins the night before with some research.  The following day  is forecast to be low to mid 80's, sunny and beautiful.  We plan a low budget outing to Lake of the Ozarks State Park to explore parts of it we have never seen before.   The plan is to pack some food and drink, fill up the car and drive a new route to the South East corner of the park.  The countryside is so beautiful in the southern half of Missouri.  We take a highway to a county paved road to a gravel road.  This bridge is off the beaten path, but there were a few people there enjoying it's beauty.  We go across a small bridge made of cable, iron and wooden planks.  The "best" part of this one was the material on the driving surface was corrugated steel.  You know, the wavy metal used for barn or shed siding and roofs.  Samantha enjoyed it.  She was making and ahh noise so it sounded like she was talking into a fan.  Paul and I were glad to be off of it. As we rounded a corner, we saw the bigger bridge; the one I had seen pictures of on the internet.  It did not disappoint.  It stretched over a small finger of the lake with wide gravel beaches.  There was access to the water and primitive camping just after the bridge were a man and his small son were playing with a remote controlled car on the rocky terrain.  We parked near the water to take it all in.  Daddy took Miss Samantha over the uneven ground while I took pictures.  We were able to walk all the way down and underneath the bridge.  The view from underneath this 90 year old bridge was a sight to behold.  The picture to the left does not do it justice.  A design like this really tests the bounds of physics.  To know that a full size SUV can travel on a bridge made well before vehicles became so large.  Spectacular.  For more info on the 2 bridges check out this link: SWINGING BRIDGES, BRUMLEY, MO Once under the bridge, we found a nice open area to let Samantha explore.  No doubt an area created by the many footsteps of visitors before us.  She checked out the ripples in the water and the foliage nearby.  Watching her reaction to every new environment fills my heart with joy.   We left that area to go back down into the water.  I can't be that close to clear water and not put my feet in.  I wear sandals for a reason.  The gravel is small enough that we let Samantha have a look around.  She was wearing her brand "new" Nike shoes, blue jeans, t-shirt and hat. My girl, comfy, casual & ready to explore, not to mention the sunscreen applied to every spot of exposed skin. We were able to see 3 blue herons hunting for their next meal.  We were about 50 yards from one of the herons while it took flight.  Such a beautiful place, we'll have return with our tent and gear to do some fishing, swimming and enjoy the view of the bridge next summer.  Samantha will be 2 1/2 years old next summer and will be unstoppable.  Maybe Samantha and her grandma and grandpa can spend a weekend together while Paul and I have a quiet weekend at this jewel of a spot.  Hmmm....that sounds good.  I don't know, Samantha sure is fun to be around.  We'll just have to wait and see.

Headed to FLORIDA.....Florida, MO

We've been to a river and now to a lake this summer.  It was a cool 85 degrees and we were loving it.  Paul, Brandon, Samantha and I arrived at the beach.  After a few nervous cries and panic upon entering such a large body of water, Samantha finally settled in to play like she saw the other kids doing.  To really get her going, I grabbed her by her swimsuit top and swooshed her side to side.  Then I started swinging that little girl back as far as I could go, through the water and up up up as far as I could go.  When we couldn't go any higher, back down she went.....SPLASH....and back again and again.  When Mommy couldn't swing anymore, we rested on the beach.  

In hindsight, we should have shown her how fun playing in the sand could be.  It is only now, when I look at these pictures that I realize she is just sitting in the sand not knowing what to do other than to look pretty.  She's probably thinking that her swimsuit is a bit uncomfortable.

Well, it would have been hard to play in the sand with that swimsuit on anyway.  We didn't stay much longer because we were headed to Florida!

We went to a scenic view park near Mark Twain's boyhood home in Florida, Mo. to have a little lupper, yes lunch & supper.  It was around 4pm I guess.  Paul and Brandon went out on a rock cliff to push boulders into the water while Samantha and I got out all the food.  I had packed a cooler with some drinks,  sandwiches and some chips to make an easy meal.  After everyone finished we all took off on a trail that lead us over the hill and through the woods to the water.  Samantha was in a stroller, but her Daddy had to carry her most of the way.  The terrain was not stroller friendly.  Once at the water again, Brandon found an old utility pole that he just knew would fall over if he pushed it enough.  He spent a good 30 mins and energy attempting this.  The utility pole won.  We trekked back to the car to head home.  It had been a long, fun day.  

As we approached Samantha's Grandma and Grandpa's house, my Mom and Dad, Paul decided to stop by for a surprise visit and say hello.  They were to meet us at the lake to take part in the fun, but we just couldn't get the game plan together for that to happen.  So the next best thing was to just stop by.  We didn't stay long there as it was getting into evening and we were all ready to be home, but it was nice to visit.

So that was the trip to Florida and back.  Good times at Mark Twain Lake!

Tent Camping at the Meramec River

So, who takes a 16 month old tent camping?  We do.  It has been blistering hot all summer long with temperatures consistently near 100 degrees.  Put that with the fact that taking a toddler anywhere is a large undertaking and you get a big case of cabin fever in the summertime.  Well, I couldn't take it anymore, so I made an executive decision that we were going to find some nice, cool, running water in the form of a river.  The Current River would have been the most ideal for being cool and clean, but the Meramec River is also spring fed and is much closer.  

We fill the back of a full size truck with supplies and take off.  Paul, Brandon, Samantha & I leave the house around Samantha's nap time thinking that she could sleep during that 2 hour drive.  Think again.  She did not because she knew something new was going on.  We arrive at the campground and took one of Paul's favorite spots along the river where the water curves around the bend.  Normally, we would have set up right next to the river, but for safety's sake, we backed off a bit to give Samantha some running room.

Setting up was a sweat inducing event as it was at least in the mid 90's.  Samantha had a few cool down sessions with the truck's A/C before sunset cooled everything down for us.  Between those sessions, we all took turns playing in the water.  Paul took Brandon & I in turn up river with an inner tube, so we could float back down to the site.  Brandon and Paul played in the water near the site skipping rocks and splashing each other.  They were having so much fun out there that Samantha and I just had to join in.  We got into our swimsuits.  Hers had life jacket built in.  I aired up her little water seat and we got wet.  She didn't know what to make of all that water.  Her daddy and I put her in the seat and held on tight while she fussed and decided if she liked it or not.  It really didn't take her long to start splashing and having fun.  Paul and I even pushed her between us to create her first float trip.  

After that, it was time to eat.  We all came in to dry off and change clothes.  We went up to the campground restaurant to eat and soak up some A/C.  The restaurant is adjacent to the cave entrance, so after dinner, we walked over to look at cave artifacts and souveniers  for sale.  
In front of the restaurant we came across Jesse James and his brother along with 2 more outlaws Badlands Brandon and Samantha "the Panther" Price.  Samantha "the Panther" is well known for stealing the show wherever she goes, while Badlands Brandon keeps watch over her.

Playing in the water

You need just a few ingredients to have some summer fun.

Step 1:  Turn on the water sprinkler and add a plastic bowl.

Step 2:  Grab a coffee can and some rocks

Now you're having fun!

5th Year Anniversary

Mom and Dad came over to watch Samantha so Paul and I could go out. We went to Columbia to a Japanese restaurant-Osaka. The food was very good , but the atmosphere left something to be desired. Our chef was a 20-something white guy. The floor was carpet and industrial tile. It wasn't very Japanese.
It was still a different experience and a wonderful time with my hubby. Afterward, we walked off some of the food at Shelter Gardens. It was a very nice 85 outside and beautiful there.

Remembering

We have returned from Farmington after Janet's funeral. It's still so unreal that she is gone. We will never see her again or hear her voice. She was only 42. One of my own brothers is 43. I can not imagine the pain Paul and his family feel. Her widowed husband is also so hurt and lost that I can't describe the emotion. He was so in love with her. That was always so clear to me.


Her mother and sister held strong during the service, but they must be torn apart inside.  How can you not be.  They are such a close group.  There are so many pictures at family get togethers of Kathy, Robin and Janet.  They were 3 of a kind.  

L to R:  Eric, Mitchell, Janet & Taylor
Janet and her sons

I remember meeting Janet and Mike when Paul and I first started dating.  He and his kids were living with her and her 3 boys.  Talk about a crowded house, but they all seemed to get along well with the situation.  The house only had 3 bedrooms but they made another bedroom using some ingenuity.  Paul and his kids all slept in the same room.  Amber and Brandon were young enough that it was more of a game.  Janet's 3 boys were old enough as teenagers that they weren't at the house much anyway.  Janet and Mike had their own room.  


I remember getting asked plenty of screening questions from Janet at her dining room table.  She didn't hesitate to give me a hard time about everything, but once I was finished with phase 1 of interrogation, she was sweet and generous.  

Harold and Janet
Father and Daughter

Janet was the first of Paul's family that I met, so I was closest to her.  She's gone.....so young......so full of life and love.  How do you have a heart attack at 42?  I will miss her.  Paul is in terrible shape.  The loss of his father still cause great pain for him, and now with his sister gone, I hope he can stay sane and cope with his loss as positively as one can.  He's so angry with the world right now.  I pray for him and all the Price family.  They are in great pain.

Our Wedding - 5 years ago today

Our Loss of Janet

Today, around 5:30 pm, we found out that Paul's sister, Janet, had passed away.  She had been struggling with some chronic medical issues for years now, but I didn't think it was life threatening.  What a sad time.  Paul left for his mother's house immediately after getting home from work.  Samantha, the kids and I stayed behind until the arrangements have been made.  We'll go down for the services.  Paul's family has lost his father and now his sister.  It hasn't sunk in yet for anyone.  I pray for strength to share.  I pray that they may all cope well with this loss.  I pray for them. 


Janet was 42 years old.  A few years ago she married a great man, Mike.  Her 3 boys had just moved out on their own into a junky old house that they were remodeling as part of the rent.  Life for Janet was good.  Paul says that her illness had been easing for the last few months.  She even made it to Samantha's 1st birthday party.  I was surprised to see her.  Her illness caused her great pain that was exaggerated during car rides, and since she lived 3 hours from us, I didn't expect her to attend.  


Janet was a wonderful, loving, giving, hard-ass who did not hesitate to tell you what she thought.  Spunky and funny.  Loud and obnoxious.  Would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it.  I loved her greatly.  

This pic is from Samantha's birthday party about 3 months ago.

This pic was from our wedding, which was 5 years ago.

Update:  The doctors said that it looked like she had a massive heart attack in her sleep.  

15 Month Checkup

Today was your 15 month check up. 
You received the last shots that you will get until you are ready for kindergarden!!!  Well, you'll probably get a flu shot :-(

You received a clean bill of health and a note that you will be tall and thin, like your momma.  I used to be thin anyway; time is sneaking up on me.

Weight:  19 lbs and 7 oz, (5-10%)  That's where the thin comes in to play
Height:  31 inches (75%)  You have really caught up in that department
Head size:  46 cm (50-75%)  You have your Daddy's head.  I can't help you there!

I love looking back at pictures of you when you were so tiny.  Here you are in your little purple chair.  I put you in this chair way before you were big enough to be in it.

3 weeks old     -------->     15 months old

Samantha Plays Basketball

Just a little over a month ago, Samantha started walking.  It is so amazing to me that now she can run, kick and even traverse obstacles with such confidence.  How long will it be before Mommy's hand is not needed on uneven ground?  Makes me sad to think about that.

Yesterday, I got out the video camera to capture these precious moments.  She loves playing with her brother's basketball.  She looks for it whenever we are outside.  She loves to pick it up and throw it to you.  She is fascinated by bouncing the ball, and I think she really wants to know how to do it herself.

Another topic of amazement for me....her understanding of words and objects.  I can really tell that also in the past month, her level of understanding has increased tremendously. 

"Samantha, would you please put your highchair away?"

She pushes it against the wall where it is kept.

"Put the ball in the box"

Throw, kick, or roll the ball

I may be biased, but she is so smart!!

Samantha-

So, today we had a very relaxing day.  No appointments, nothing pressing to do.  We spent some time outside playing with sticks while I drained your little pool.  You and I chased each other in the living room and rolled around on the floor.  I hid behind the chair to sneak up on you, but you found me, so I crawled across the floor chasing you while you squealed with delight.  You love to attack Daddy and I when we are laying down.  I was on the floor and you were sitting next to my head.  You leaned over and put a very wet mouth over my nose.  Then you climbed on my stomach to attack from the top.  I rolled you over to get your belly.  Then we played the belly game.  I blew on your belly, then you point at mine.  'elly, you say.  Life is so wonderful with you.dad here, you threw my keys in the trash can we are pretty sure, been about a week now, and still no keys, i gave them to you to play with and boom, gone.

Bananas

Samantha, it's official....you requested bananas.  I had just gotten you dressed after your bath.  We went into the kitchen to get a little snack before bed, and Daddy had put pears on your tray.  When you saw the tray, you said 'nana'.  Now I don't know if you thought they were bananas or if you were asking for banana's.  Either way, it was great!

Story Hour

It's Monday and that means story time at the library.  We went to story hour today with a sleepy baby.  Samantha was a little more adventurous and rambunctious today.  She was dancing around the center of the room for all the babies and mommas.  Shaking her shaker.  "Helping" the teacher.  It was cute, as she always is, but we did not stick around for playtime afterward.  She may not look sleepy, but trust me, momma knows her baby.  This little performing cutie needed to go back to bed.

This morning she was eating bananas and rice chex for breakfast.  I cut up the banana into little disks and when I put them on her tray, she said "nana". 

She has quite the growing vocabulary. 
kitty
belly
banana
milk
juice

My wonderful little girl.

Motorcycle Shopping

Paul had the whole weekend off.  Yesterday we went motorcycle shopping.  Something I did not care to do or care if we buy, but we went.  I was happy just to spend some time with my husband.  We drove to Tipton to Ghetto Superstar Cycle Center to find the man working there to be the owner, proprieter, genuinely uncaring and unhelpful.  It was a wasted trip other than the time Paul, Samantha and I spent in the car on the pretty drive on Hwy 50.

Then we went to Jefferson City to Larry's Motorsports.  Now these guys actually try to sell things.  The staff was helpful even though they were all very busy with the many customers they had in the store.  Paul decided on one, but by that time, Samantha was ready to take her afternoon nap.  We left, but finished it all up over the phone with the dealership and the bank.  I'll post pics soon of the bike.  It's nice enough.  It has a decent "wife" seat and backrest.  We'll see if I ever get on it.

In the meantime, Samantha was shopping for a dirtbike.  She was sitting on this PW 50 with no assistance and turning the handlebars like a pro.  Baby girl,  bikes are dangerous.

Today I'd like to shop for windows for the house.  Today is also Father's Day, he's watching a moving and has to go pick up his kids at 5pm.  That's 4 hours from now.  But since I got a big fat nothing for Mother's Day and he got a bike yesterday.  We are going to do what I want today.

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The start of a great weekend.

It's a great day.  Paul, the hubby, starts at his new position on Monday.  Nice raise.  His kids go to visit their mom this weekend, so he and I might have an actual conversation or two.  That will be nice. 

The kids take off around 4pm, but around 6pm we get a phone call saying that Amber's car broke down...bad.  It's the motor.  So much for Friday evening.  Paul drives to meet her with a trailer to haul the broken down car back home.  The kids hitch a ride with their mom, so at least he and I still have Saturday together.  We'll work out how to get them home later. 

Samantha and I go play in her little pool while he's gone.  I've got just enough water in there for her to splash around.  She has fun splashing, squealing and walking around the edge.  We come in around 8 to get cleaned up and eat something before it's her beddy bye time.  Once she's in her pj's, we lay on the big bed together to watch a little Baby TV and drink some bedtime milk.  She missed her afternoon nap today, so I know that she is tired.  We went roaming around town and to the Goodwill store to get some new books and just get out of the house.

She's avoiding sleep.  She starts to play and move around.  Suddenly, I'm under attack.  This big wet mouth is coming after my nose with a yell and a laugh.  She does a body slam on top of me and nearly bites my nose off.  Ok, it was adorable and I was laughing so much I could hardly breathe.  I was conquered.  I had to surrender and get her off just so I could regain my composure.  We are supposed to be getting ready for bed. 

She settles in about 9, and her Daddy gets back around 9:15.  Of course.  She wouldn't have lasted much longer  She was fighting that sleepiness for the past hour. 

Samantha, I love you so much.  Those moments are so precious to me.

15 Months Old Today

Today, Samantha is 15 months old. Amber and I took her to a walking path to take pictures of her doing her latest and greatest thing. Walking with confidence. She was timid for a few minutes, but it didn't take her long to start exploring the world around her. I'd like to share some pictures of the day.

This one, however is my favorite.  It epitomizes her attitude out there. 
"Follow me, I'll show you the way!"  Such a big little girl. 

Amber is showing her the wonders of tree bark and Samantha is more interested in tree tops.

Holding Mommy's hand.  You really didn't have the need to, but Mommy wanted some pictures of you and I holding hands.  You didn't seem to mind.  You are becomming quite the Mommy's girl, and that's ok, because I love to be near you.  We have so much fun together.

Samantha's 1st Birthday

I just wanted to share some ideas for a 1st birthday party.  I got the idea  for her cake from Pinterest, see link below.


http://www.meandmyinsanity.com/2011/08/is-for-alec-abc-1st-birthday.html


However, I made her cake much smaller for her and had cube cupcakes made for the guests.  When it comes to parties, I am not the hostess with the mostess, so I tried to make things as easy as possible.  That way I don't feel like I am scrambling to appease.  The cake and ice cream were just grab and go.  

You may ask, how do you make ice cream grab and go.  Well, this was another Pinterest idea.  The day before, I scooped out ice cream into cupcake papers and put them in a covered cake pan in a single layer.  Then I just stuck them in the freezer to await the party guests.  When it comes time for cake and ice cream, just get out the pre-made scoops and set out some plates and spoons.


The cupcakes were made from 3 different flavors of cake:  strawberry, yellow, and chocolate.  I had no idea this would create fun for the party goers.

As you can see, I had SAMANTHA'S 1ST BIRTHDAY spelled out.  The rest of the cupcakes were just random letters.  The reason it was fun was that everyone was swapping cake flavors.  1 guest would pick up a letter, poke at it and say, "Oh this is strawberry, I wanted chocolate."  Another guest would say they love strawberry, so the cupcake was exchanged.  It turned out to be a great get-to-know-you activity.

This is just a bonus pic of the gift aftermath.  Those are the 2 Grandmas on the right.  Samantha raked in the goodies and was awake and happy the entire length.  As soon as the guests left, we had a very sleepy baby!